The
Team: They have needed help at Linebacker since Vilma left.
"I think it is too early to evaluate drafts," Loomis said.
"And yet I felt like this draft class we just had did a lot of good things, and I think there are guys that maybe did not get as much of an opportunity this year that we have high hopes
for. One of the things we had is a lot of play by first-year and rookie players. I think the most in the league, if my memory is correct. So that is encouraging on the one hand because, look, we like the talent, but we have room to grow here with these
guys." So they have some good young guys.

But they have redefined a lot of their
scouting department. "We had a number of changes in our personnel department last
year," Loomis said. "And you don’t feel the effects of that for a couple years down the
road. And yet I’m pretty fired up about the guys we have and the institutional knowledge that a guy like Jeff Ireland or
[area scouts] Jon Sandusky or Brendan Prophett. And some of the guys that have been here that we’re empowering a little more. I’m pretty fired up about where we are going."
Look for them to go defense here. They could have their choice of the top
four passrushers right here.

The
Player: Smith brings so much to a team,
but most importantly he is a great leader and clutch defender. "The development of the defense and where he is," Kelly
said about Smith, "it puts him in a position on those rundowns where we can get him into the center of the action.
It really was about getting him in the center of action, and that will linebacker position keeps him around the action as much as we can. We can even dictate terms in the sense that, even if you want to go two by two and try to get him out of the box, we can even dictate that and keep him in there. So it was really more about keeping him in the center of our defense than anything else."
He
makes plays all over the field.

He is so athletic on the field that he reminds
me of Jamie Collins as a pure linebacker. "He's just scratching the surface for what
he could be as a pro," an NFC director of scouting said. "A creative
coordinator could really have a fun time moving him around as a chess
piece." There
are not a lot of guys who can move on the field like Collin. Smith is one
of them.

He makes plays in the rush
and in coverage, but his bread is buttered in the run game. "I think that they are very similar in their evaluation,
in that he has great versatility for him," a scout said. "He's 250 pounds. So he can play inside. He can play outside. He provides a unique opportunity, even for those at the next level, because he can run and rush the
passer. He can play both inside and outside. That's very unique for a defensive player."
He got even more aggressive against the run this past season. I like how
he takes on blockers at the point, and can shed and make the tackle.

This past season he started to make some
money for himself, but making plays on the edges. "I mean, a lot of people see all the athletic traits and things of that
nature," Smith himself said. "But I don't think that makes you great. It's about your work ethic, your work habits, just going about learning defense, understanding the game, what offenses are trying to do. From your position, it's understanding, you know, your defensive coordinator's mind, his scheme. Not just memorizing what you're supposed to do, but understanding the full concepts."
He is as smart as they come.

If his knee is sound
he could go in the top 15. He tore two ligaments in his knee, and his camp
is saying
he will be ready for the 2015 season in eight or nine months. He
won the Butkus Award as the best linebacker in the FBS. Then he tore up his ACL and LCL on
a seemingly innocuous play in their Bowl Game. I don't think he was ever
really a top five pick, and tearing two ligaments is going to hurt his
Draft stock.
But, the only news that matter is that the surgery was said to be
successful and a full recovery before the NFL season starts in 9 months. "What we do know is there's going to be a full
recovery. The repair is solid, and he's very optimistic. We're optimistic. And Jaylon is ready to get going with his
rehab.," the source
said. Then he said "[the
repair of both ligaments] couldn't have gone better. The nerve was healthy and in great
condition." Let's hope so.

The
Reason:As Brees reaches
the end, the defense is going to have to get better to compensate. "Short answer,"
coach Brain Kelly said, "I haven't coached a player like [Jaylon] before,
period. [He] can line up with his hand on the ground. He can cover the inside receiver. He can play in the box. He can tackle in open space. There's not much he can't do."
That sounds like the linebacker that the Saints need.

The
Team: Their O-line fell apart last year. Peters was not who we thought he
was. He might have to move back to ORT.

The Player:He
only allow one sack in the 2014 season, despite going up against some of
the best passrushers in the game. "I would tell Jaylon, and I would tell Ronnie, if you're going to be the first tackle, or you're going to be the first one taken at your position, you've got to seriously consider what your future looks
like," the HC of ND Kelly said. "It's not probably going to get much
better." He refused his captainship this past season, because of his excessive
parking tickets.

The
silly parking ticket saga seemed to sap some of his confidence this past
season. "Ronnie has developed into a premier offensive lineman," Brian Kelly said
before 2015 season. "With another year at the position, and gaining more knowledge under the outstanding coaching of Harry Hiestand, Ronnie could be the best tackle in all of college football."
But he regressed a little instead.

However, I
still think he is the second best OLT in this Draft, and might have the most potential. "He can run, he's athletic, he's long and I can tell he's getting better every week. It's definitely going to be a challenge going against him, along with the rest of the
line," Joey Bosa said. "He's definitely more of a long athlete than a power, strong guy. You watch him run down the field, it's pretty crazy watching a guy that big run like that. He's rated as high as he is for a reason."
If he regains his confidence he has the size and ability to move backwards
to be an All Pro.

The
Team: The Raiders need less help than
normal. "We wanted to get some guys that are in their prime and will give us a few
years," McKenzie said. "We felt like the leadership that we have now, we can just add to the roster to get better. Last year was more, we let a lot of guys go early, feel like we didn’t have the leadership. We got some guys who had played some years, and they provided a lot to your young players last year. Hopefully, we can grow from that, and continue. We’ll continue to add some young players. That’s what we wanted to do this year, get some youth, some starter-type guys and try to win some ballgames."
Sounds like a plan.

The
Player: Robinson is a fireplug. You are
just not going to move him out of the middle. "Playing in this conference and doing the things I've done has really helped me and prepared me,"
A'Shawn said. "I think I bring a lot with everything I can do, I can do a little bit of everything. There are a lot of special players in the draft, but I feel like I do a lot of things better than other people."
3-4 teams are going to be looking at him as a Nose Tackle.

He is an old
school D-Tackle, who will stop the run first and foremost. "He's a big, wide-bodied, put-together, athletic kid,"
a
scout said. "It's hard to budge him unless he's taking a gap. He plays sound, he's great with his hands vs. the run.
It's tough for double-teams to move him, and he can get slippery as a pass rusher."
Plus, he has a few surprising bursts up field where he scares the crap out
of the quarterback every game.

JUNIOR
(2015): A consensus Freshman All-American during his first year on campus ... named consensus All-American in 2015, earning first-team votes from the Sporting News, Associated Press, FWAA and AFCA ... also earned second-team nods from Walter Camp and USA Today ... finalist for the Outland Trophy … a disruptive force on the inside, 35 of his 43 tackles have come on runs with 7.5 for a loss (-25 yards), while adding 10 quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble
recovery.

The
Reason: It just always seems to me that they need help
inside on the D-line. They also need help at CB and Safety. Plus, they
haven't found a replacement for Jared Veldheer at OLT. But I think
Robinson is just too good to pass up here.

The
Team: This team looks ready to win, except they don't have a
QB. If you have to roll through the same old retreads you better have
some great weapons for him to throw to. The Rams have the makings of a
great defense. If they can build any kind of decent offense they could
have something special. I love what they did in last years Draft. Talk
about hitting your weaknesses! I had them needing three O-linemen, and
they drafted three O-linemen. Now they didn't take a WR until the 6th
round, and I don't even know if he made the team, but they have to hit
that again before Day Two is over.

The
Player:Treadwell
is a terrific talent. He might have the best hands and catching radius
of any WR in this Draft. "I don’t know if it’s because of anything as much physically as it is that he’s matured
mentally," Freeze said. "We talk about tempo a lot here, but after the ball is snapped, the pace at what you play the actual play, there was some where you may grade yourself a six or seven in his case. This year, that maturity he’s had and determination to be better, the pace at which he’s played during plays, there’s a lot of nines and 10s. That comes with
maturity." You see a lot of big strong WRs go up high and snag the
high balls, but what impresses me is how consistently he can go low and
dig the bad throw out of the dirt.

I have never seen such a big WR snag the ball
below his knees as much as he does.
"I told him that after the game," A&M HC Sumlin said.
"I told him that I’m glad I won’t have to see him anymore. I think
he's one of the better players in the country. He’s strong, he’s physical. He separated on the big play, big touchdown.
He's a heck of a football player. He’s gonna have a successful career at the next level."
The only question he has left to answer is his speed. He could go top
five with a great 40, or drop way down here with an average 40.

The Reason:
The next best thing to a QB is a big time WR. "He's the best I’ve ever
coached," coach Freeze said. "I believe that. Donte was really
good. Mike Wallace was good. Laquon is probably the most complete. Donte was close. If Donte had stayed his senior year, it would probably be tit-for-tat with those two. But I’d say
[Laquon] is probably the most talented that I’ve coached." If
Treadwell runs any kind of decent 40 at the Combine there is no way he
drops this low.

The
Team:
They have to get a passrusher. This should a very strong defensive Draft
for Detroit. They could use a playmaker in the secondary, and a play making linebacker.

The
Player:Nassib is a one year wonder, but what a one year. He
is the closest player to Watt I have seen

.
Watts came out at 290, and Nassib is a thin 275, and looks like he could
add 10 to 15 pounds and not have it effect his great blast off. Nobody in
this Draft uses his hands better to make O-tackles miss than Nassib. That
is why he could be the top edgerusher from this Draft. He came to
Penn St as a 215-pound walk-on.

He
gained 60-pounds of muscle. "I can remember one story where he came and basically questioned, this is how smart I am, I questioned how important football was to him,"
Houston HC O'Brien said. "He said to me, 'Football is really important to me. I'm going to play pro football,' and I said to him, 'Are you kidding
me? You need to be concerned about playing at Penn State. Forget about pro football.' He proved me wrong. He worked his butt off in the weight
room. [He] got stronger and got better and got
bigger." He made himself the Big-10 player of the year.

He
has that knack for hitting the quarterback, in a 275-pound frame. But he
is not an inside player. "Nassib has the look of a guy who can carry 285 (pounds) easily and he's super long, but look at his
legs," an
NFC executive said. "He is never going to have enough strength to play 5-technique no matter how tall or long he
is. I think he has to stay around his weight now so he doesn't lose any quickness."
He consistently lines up way outside in a 9 or 11 technique.

He
has great size, but is still more of a finesse rusher. "He's an upside projection
type," a
scout said.
"He's inexperienced, but still has height, weight, speed, length and now production."
But he does have a lot of experience on special teams, which almost guarantees
him a roster spot.

The
Reason: Having a passrusher who can line up opposite Ansah would
help this team a ton.

The Team:
Their top two needs in the Draft last year were edgerusher. They got one
in Vic Beasley. Now they need a another edgerusher to work the opposite
side of the field as Vic.

The
Player: Lawson
is another one year wonder at DE, who looks like the real deal. "At the beginning of the
[2014] season I was slacking," Lawson said. "I knew I had to turn my game around the last five or six games, and that is what I
did. I came out every day and practiced hard and that showed in the games. He
[coach Hobby] told me I could play better than that and that I wasn't giving it my all. And then I realized my teammates needed me and I needed to come out here and practice harder every day. I just got more hungry for the ball and tried to speed my game up a little bit. I had to think that each week
'I am going to play like a starter', and after I did that I started making
plays." He learned how to work harder than his opponents in 2014.
He also learned the mental aspect of the game in 2014. "I just have to get better before they leave and step into a leadership
role," Lawson said. "I have to be able to study my opponents and see their weakness and see what I can do, to be able to be a pass rusher like Vic. Vic has taught me a lot about quickness. I see Vic giving effort and running around the field making plays and I feed off that energy. Once Vic makes a big play then I think I have to get in and make a big play. One game for example, against North Carolina, he had run down a pass and I loved it. I love that effort. That is what is going to get him paid. I am looking forward to that. I am ready to get to
work." He took that effort in 2015, and learned to be as relentless
as Vic Beasley on the field.
But it all started when he had his epiphany in Nov 2014: He had six tackles, a game-high four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 30 snaps at Wake Forest on Nov. 6; named team defensive player-of-the-game ... had four tackles and one tackle for loss in 25 snaps at No. 23 Georgia Tech on Nov. 15 ... had two tackles and one tackle for loss in 26 snaps against Georgia State on Nov. 22 ... had four tackles and one tackle for loss in 24 snaps against South Carolina on Nov. 29 ... had four tackles, a caused fumble and a blocked extra point in 19 snaps against No. 24 Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec.
29.

He made
himself unblockable this past season. "He can be as good as there is in that
league," Swinney said. "I think he’s a first-round talent.
When people get a hold of Shaq and get to know him, they’ll love him because he’s such a low-maintenance guy. He loves to play, he loves to practice, he’s very coachable. He loves to study film and he’s a very smart football player. People look at him as a superstar player, but he’s a very low-maintenance guy."
He wants it more than most.

He hurt his knee against OK in the Orange
Bowl. But played in the Champ game anyway. "So far, so good," Swinney said. "We'll see him out there today. But I think the prognosis is good at this point."
He had to play through pain, and wear a knee brace. "I’ve just got to get comfortable with it,"
Shaq said. "I'm not really comfortable with it right now." So toughness
is really not a question anymore either.

He is so quick off the snap that he
gets OTs off balance right away. He is a tough guy who had a
"ligament strain" in his right knee, and played through the pain
to help his team in the Champ game. He might have the top inside move of
any rusher in this Draft. OT's
have to over protect the inside, which he uses to open up the outside
rush.

The
Reason:
They need someone who can get up field and hit the quarterback. Nobody
gets up field faster than Beasley. Beasley has been a blindside
rusher only, and Lawson has played great on the strongside. It would be so
great to see those two guys team up again. It is just too prefect to
happen.

The
Team: Yeah, I don't really care. The funny
part, which is all
I care about, is that they renewed the HC and the GM who openly hate each
other. Then pretended to love each other for their drug addled owner, yay.
Three crappy things that get worse together. This organization deserves
all the crap they give each other. Looking at last years Draft that really
did this team in, when your top two picks don't address a top six need for
your team, and they don't address a top four need until the 4th? Than your GM is trying to sabotage your HC. So enjoy the
season Colts fans.
I know I will.

The
Player: Oakman
is a freak. He was the best player in this Draft at getting TFLs as a
Sophomore and Junior. He had 12.5 TFL and 2 Sacks as a Sophomore. He had
19.5 TFLs, and led the nation by averaging 1.5 TFL per game. Oh he added
11 sacks as well. "Everybody on the road is beating up Oakman because he's been so overrated by the national
media," an
AFC scout said.
"I wouldn't take him in the first three rounds, but I'm not convinced that he can't become an NFL player. He's never going to be a great pass rusher, but he's really powerful and that is a trait that coaches can work with and do something with."
What? He garnered 14.5 TFL in 2015, which gives him 46.5 TFL over
the past three seasons, which is more than any other FBS player over that
span. Your damn right NFL coaches will have something to work with.

He
consistently makes impact plays. "Oakman looks great," a different scout said.
"He's going to be a combine warrior. But you've got to turn on the
film at some point, and he doesn't make a lot of plays. He kind of
freelances." What? Doesn't make a lot of plays? Again, he had
12.5 TFL as a non-starting part-time player in 2013. He made more plays
than anyone is 2014. I can remember 46.5 plays he has made over the past
three seasons.

Last year,
he was playing more 5-Tech in Baylor's 3-4. "They are making plays because the guys up front are occupying
blockers," Briles said. "When the D-Line occupies blockers, they turn the linebackers free and they make plays. All that credit goes to the four guys up front."
He occupied a lot of blockers last season, and they often went into a
two-man front with him and Billings.

He used his long arms to become a great edgerusher
in college.
He got injured during the season and his sack production went
down. Plus, he did look like he was protecting himself a little during the
games. However, he was great in Baylor's Bowl game, and was
unblockable. Then he went to the Senor Bowl and got two Sacks. When he is
on and playing hard, he hits the QB as well as anyone in this Draft. Plus,
he showed year after year at Baylor that he has that knack for hitting the
RB in the backfield.

2015
(Senior): Starting defensive end in 12 games played during All-Big 12 senior season… Totaled 43 tackles (32 solo, 14.5 for loss), 4.5 sacks for -38 yards, eight QB hurries and two forced fumbles on season… Named second-team All-Big 12 by league coaches, Phil Steele and Waco Tribune-Herald… Ranked third in Big 12 with 1.21 tackles-for-loss per game… 14.5 total TFL ranked ninth on BU single-season chart… 0.38 sacks per game ranked 19th in Big 12… Missed season-opening game due to rules violation… Totaled six tackles and tied career high with 3.5 TFL, added 10-yard sack and hurry, in win over Lamar in second game… Made five solo stops, two for loss, and sack in win over Rice in third game… Solo tackle in win over Kansas in fifth game was eight-yard sack that broke school career sacks record (previously 15)… Made career-high seven tackles (six solo), tied career-best 3.5 for loss for -16 yards, and forced fumble in win over Iowa State in seventh game… Totaled four tackles, including assisted sack, vs. No. 12 Oklahoma in ninth game… Had five stops (four solo, one for loss) at No. 15 TCU in 11th game… Sat out 2015 spring drills recovering from wrist
surgery.

The
Reason: Not really a top need. But I
think he can play 5-tech and OLB in a 3-4. He rushed in odd fronts on passing down
a lot this past season. Plus, he stood up a little on the edge.

The
Team: It
looks like the Bills found their QB. At least they found a QB who can
play great against the Pats.

The
Player: Jack
is a superb linebacker who had a serious injury ."Myles talent is without question. I hope he's put enough out there where they can get a true evaluation."
coach Mora said. "The timing caught me by surprise but I don't hold any ill
will. I support him 100 percent." It sounds like he is concerned for
the kid.

Jack left
with what seemed like some unfinished business at UCLA. "He’s taking his chips and shoving them into the middle, and we hope he draws a good hand," Mora
said. "I think it’s risky to do this. Having been on that [NFL]
side, there's going to be a lot of speculation as to what he is and where he fits. And as I told Myles on Sunday, NFL teams are very, very conservative, and if there’s any question whatsoever, they’ll pass on you in a heartbeat. They’re going to take the sure
thing. As a guy that spent half of my life in the NFL, I would move with great caution, and I would tell that to all of our players. If he played all year, I was thinking that we would [not have him next year], but when you only play in three games and that’s all the tape they have of you your junior year.
I’ve been in 25 draft rooms, and I’ve never seen a guy taken off of that ever. I worry about that for him."
I wonder what all the hubbub was all about?

But they
patched things up. "It was kind of a brief conversation, straight and to the point, and we just came to the agreement that it was the best
decision," Jack said. "It went pretty smoothly. He wanted to make sure I was 100-percent sure, and that it was really what I wanted to do, and not just what others wanted. In the end, he said that if that’s what I want to do, he would back me up 1,000 percent, and that whatever I needed to do to try to get to the next level, he would help me any way he could."
I've
never seen anything like this before.

He
had an incredible start to the season, and then had a season ending
injury. "He's a Will in a 4-3," a scout said.
"He can play inside in a 3-4 but it'd be kind of a waste to take a
guy that high to do that. I'm betting he would go in the first three
rounds as a running back. He'll run in the 4.5s." He is a great
tackler and great in coverage.

If
his knee is healthy he is a slam Dunkin' donuts prospect. "Jack can play modern-day football, let's
put it that way," a scout said. "He ain't never leaving the
field." Coaches crave linebackers like Jamie Collins, who are great
against the pass, and great against the run.

The
Reason:
They lost three Linebackers the 2014 season. I don't think they really
have been replaced.

The
Team: They could use a WR or two. But adding talent along the
D-line is never a bad thing.

The
Player: Washington got in trouble before the Ohio ST Bowl game when his
teammates needed him the most, and that has to give you some pause "I want to sincerely apologize to my family, to coach Meyer and the coaching staff, to my teammates and my friends for my lack of
judgment last night and for my actions that I truly regret," Washington
said in a written statement. "I have wanted to be a high-character teammate, a contributor to the success of this program and, most importantly, someone my family can be proud of. I am extremely disappointed in myself, and I can honestly say I will learn from my mistake and I will accept the consequences that deservedly will come my way. And I hope that people will know that I am truly sorry and that I sincerely do apologize."
Granted, not enough to drop him to 21.

He really
developed into a top penetrator this season. He took those skills to the
Senior Bowl, and was getting into the backfield all week. I liked Bennett
more as a college player, but I can see Washington being a better Pro
player.

The
Reason: At some point all the big D-linemen have to go. Washington
would be a steal here. There is no chance he is still on the Board at 21.
He should be a top ten pick, but he slipped in my head as I was piecing together
the worst mock Draft in the World together.

The
Team:
A QB. A QB. My kingdom for a QB. O'Brien got this job because of his impressive
success turning a freshman QB into a star at Penn ST. When that QB
declares for the Draft, and writes you a love letter, you just take him
and thank your lucky stars. This pick is just too perfect to ever
happened.

I even rated Hackenberg as my 22nd player because of this pick. "I have a ton of respect for everything he has done and how he coached me as an 18-year-old
kid," Houston Texan wannabe Christian Hackenberg said. "I feel like that taught me so much and it was so valuable for the rest of my career, moving forward, at Penn State. I took a lot away from that experience and it was a great experience.
Had never been coached like that. He was bringing a totally different perspective."
If this team doesn't get an NFL QB who can throw more than 30-yards downfield
than they will never win a Playoff game.

The
Player: Hackenberg has experience in Bill O'Brien's Pro Style
system. "It would be awesome,” Hackenberg said about being Drafted
by Houston. "To have another opportunity to play with Coach
[O’Brien], be reunited with [Bill], and the whole staff. A lot of
[coaches] left [when he left]," Hackenberg said. "A lot of those guys recruited me and built a great relationship up there, but I think, ultimately the goal for me is making sure that I am the most well-rounded prospect I can be. As prepared as I can be to impress as many teams as I need to and let the cards fall where they may."
He is the perfect fit for one team that is in desperate need of a
QB. He has the arm.

He has the smarts.
"Christian ran an NFL system at 18. [Goff and Cook] didn't do it with 50-man scholarship roster. He did. This is why Christian is hard for a lot of people to
evaluate," his Dad said. Then added. "Take Jared or Connor and put them on Penn State the last two
years. They don't make it through." What he did at Penn ST, bringing the
program back to life after the worst sports scandal that I remember, is
amazingly underrated right now. And he did it as a freshman. "What people don't understand, playing right away, that's a tough job in college,"
Hackenberg said. "I was fortunate where I was in a really good situation. I had an awesome coach. I had a great experienced O-line, and I had a dude
at receiver [Jags star WR Robinson]." But he lost those veteran
O-linemen every year. Three are now playing in the NFL, and Allen Robinson
was never really replaced.

Now he just needs a guy who knows
how to coach him into being a success. "My first concern with Hackenberg is
accuracy," Mike Mayock said. "All the tape I've seen tells me he's not an accurate thrower. That typically doesn't change from college to the NFL that
much. He's got to speed up the process a little bit. He's very comfortable under center, he can step up in the pocket. He gets hit a lot, and you've got to be fair to a kid. He takes too many sacks, some of which are his own problem. But he's been hit so much, sometimes you worry about the evaluation process."
He is a better QB than anything the Texans currently have.

The
Reason:Here is Hackenberg's
tweet to declare for the draft: "I think, right, now, I'm going to
declare for the Draft. I want to thank coach O'Brien for bringing me here
and his staff. There's a lot of good people on that staff. It's tough to
say but, I think without him, I wouldn't have been here. He's what this
place [Penn ST] is all about." Sounds like a a match made in heaven.